Stop and recoil mechanism for motion-picture apparatus.



s. HOWELL.

STOPAND RECOIL MECHANISM FOR MOTION PICTURE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I3, 1915.

,2317,046. Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

'/9 1 5 @IIIILI d3 y? ALBERT S. HOWELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORTO BELL 8c HOWELL COMPANY,

- OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION F ILLINOIS.

STOP AND RECOIL MECHANISM FOR MOTION-PICTURE APPARATUS. l

Specication of Letters Patent.;

Patented Aug. 1a, i917.

Application filed February 13, 1915. Serial No. 7,932.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT S. HOWELL, acitizen of the United States, anda resident of Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Stop and Recoil Mechanism for Motion-Picture Apparatus,

` of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to astop or brake mechanism for the main driving or power shaft ofcinematographic machinery. More particularly my invention has referenceto a recoil or cushion device whereby the brake will effectively operatewithout causing unnecessary jar to the apparatus nor a too suddenstoppage thereof which would place a dislocating and wrecking strain.uponthe mechanism and upon the ifilm actuated thereby. In the art ofcinematography it is often necessary to stop the film actuating shuttleinstanter in order to avoid spoiling the film or for other purposes.

My invention is applicable to any mechanism for actuating or moving aribbon'film and I have therefore not shown it as applied to anyparticulartype of mechanism lor actuating shuttle.

The principal object of my invention is the provision of means .thatwill cushion the shock incident to the sudden stoppage' of the mechanismin order to prevent the parts getting out of adjustment. "Another objectis the provision of a brake that will stop the mechanism always inapredeter.- mined position-relative to the film it is actuating. Andfurther objects are to construct a device 'of thecharacter mentioned'that is effective in operation, easy to manipulate, and economical tomanufacture.

I prefer to accomplish the objects of my invention through the means andin the manner hereinafter fully described and as more particularlypointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a `part hereof, in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sec.- tional view of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section thereof taken on line 2-2,Fig.1, looking in the direction of the arrows.`

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on\the` same vertical plane as Fig. 2looking in the opposite direction as indicated by' the arrows.

In the drawings similar reference characters indicate Ithe same partsthroughout the various figures. For the purpose of convenience I havenot illustrated the particular type of machine to which'my invention hasbeen herein applied and have shown the lower portion of the casing 5thereof'that` 1s conveniently provided with a vertically disposedshuttle chamber 6 the lower portion of which communicates with atransversely bored bearing 7 in which the shuttle actuating shaft 8 isjournaled. Shaft .8 preferably extends beyond its bearings at its outerend where it is provided with a reduced end portion 9, (the purpose ofwhich will hereinafter more fully appear) and is surrounded by a sleever` bushing 10 that is ooextensive with the thickest portion thereof andwhich likewise extends outside the bearing 7 the same distance thereas.

This bushing is secured in the bearing by a` pin w driven through thebearing into the same thatl prevents its rotation .in or accidentalremoval from said bearing. The inner end of shaft 8 is provided with adisk shaped head 1l carrying a crank pin 12 to lwhich the adjacent lowerend of a `shuttle actuating pitman orlever (notshown) is mounted. j y

The outer reduced end portion of shaft,v 8 is grooved .longitudinallyto. provide a splineway 13 for the purpose of securing one of"'themembers, of a friction clutch thereto. This clutch member preferablycomprises a hollow sleeve 14' that surrounds the outer end of the shaft8 vand is splined thereto by a'key 15 fitting into the spline- -way 13above mentioned` and is secured to the interior groove of the' sleeve bymeans of a transverse pin .16. l,The inner end of the sleeve is enlargedtoprovide a head 17 that is cup-shaped and fits over the extended end ofthe bushing 10 and has au 'ear 18 formed upon its outer periphery.Secured by pins or gotherwise to the outer vertical face of the head isan annular friction ring 19, the central opening of which fits over theinner portion of the sleeve is mounted loosely on the sleeve 14 thecentral boss 21 of which is grooved' and is adapted to bear against theouter face of the friction ring 19 and is held against the same by anysuitable means, preferably the structure herein shown. This structurecomprises a friction ring 22 mounted on and 14. A pulley 20 trans-axialheaded pin 237` the head of which projects into a longitudinal groove 24in the outer periphery of said sleeve so as to permit its removallongitudinally therefrom. An expansion spring 25 is coiled around thesleeve 14 between its outer end and said friction ring 22 and is keptunder tension by a cup shaped cap 26 mounted upon the outer portion ofthe sleeve and inclosing said spring. i

The pulley 20 is driven by a beltor other means through the medium of asuitable motor and it will be obvious that the pressure exerted byspring 25 will frictionally hold the pulley under ordinary conditionsbetween the friction rings 19 and 22 in order to rotate the latter andthrough the other instrumentalities will drive the shaft 8 at the samespeed as said pulleyT 20. lVhen, however, the shaft is suddenly stoppedthe pressure of the spring and the friction of the rings is notsufficient to overcome the momentum of the pulley', the latter willcontinue to revolve independently thereof `between said rings.

I have illustrated one manner of stopping the Arotation of shaft 8 whichcomprises a pin 27 tted transversely in the headvportion of the sleeveso that one end thereof projects beyond the same into the space betweensaid head and the adjacent portion of the supporting frame 5 of themachine. The pulley '20, gear 18 and shaft 8 are adapted to be rotatedin the direction indicated'by` the arrow, in, Fig. 2 and the two latterelements (the gear and shaft) are adapted to be stopped by means of alsuitable reciprocable plunger rod 28 the end of which is movable withthe path of said pin 27 (Fig. 2). Plunger 28 is mounted in a transversehorizontal bore 29 in the frame of the machine in a plane below and insubstantially vertical alinement with the axis of shaft 8 and saidplunger is kept normally pressed toward the path of Said pin 27 by acoiled expansion spring 30 surrounding said plunger between a collar 31fixed thereon and agbushing 32 journaling the outer end thereof. A handgrasp 33 is secured to the end of plunger 28 adjacent the 'spring 30 thecentral hub of which hand grasp isI engaged by the upper arm 34 of abellcrank lever pivotally mounted below the plunger 28. rI`he free end35 of the bellcrank carries a metallic disk 36 adapted to be attractedby the core 37 of a magnet 38 vwhen the latter is energized. It isunnecessary to herein discuss the manner or means 4employed forenergizing magnet 38 as the same formsv no part of this invention.Suffice it to say, however, that said magnet is in circuit with acontact device engaged by the edge of a standard film which atpredetermined points is operated by'saidlm to close the circuit andenergize the magnet.

Instantly the magnet becomes energized the 27. As soon as said pincontacts the end of v plunger 28 the rotation of gear 18 and shaft 8will be stopped and in order to prevent the pin rebounding away from theend of the plunger I mount a spring pressed pawl 39 (Fig. 2) in a recess40 formed in the face of gear 18. This pawl is kept normally pressedoutwardly toward the circumference of the gear 18 by a spring 41 and isprovided with a laterally disposed wedgeshapedv lug or boss 42 the outerinclined face of which will ride over the end of the plunger and as soonas it has moved past the plunger will again assume its normal positionand thereby prevent the rebound of the gear and its connected elements.

In order to cushion or recoil the sudden stoppage of the shaft as justdiscussed I provide a suitable mechanism which will now be described. Asubstantially pearshaped recoil plate or arm 43 has a central opening 44in its wider portion so that the sameJ may be inserted over the bushing10 in which shaft 8 is journaled. The bushing is preferably providedwith an annular rib 45 that fits into an annular recess 46 cut in saidrecoil arm around one edge of the opening 44 so that after said arm hasbeen placed upon said bushing it will be held in position bythe rib 45.The lower pendent portion of the arm is tapered and its lower end 47 isflattened transversely and is provided with two vertically aliningtransverse. openings 48, 48. These openings afford bearings for therespective ends of oppositelyyeXtended horizontal rods 49 and 50 thatare prevented from slipping through said openings by nuts or heads 49aNand 502L on their adjacent ends. The outer ends of said rods aresupported in horizontally bored guide bosses 51 and 52 mounted upon theframe of the machine on their respecfor the purpose of adjusting-'thetension'of suitable expansion springs 55 and 56 that are coiled aroundrods 49 and 50 between the flattened portion 47 of the recoil arm andsaid adjusting nuts. Suitable adjusting screws 57 and 58 are tapped intothe outer opposite ends lof the. guide lugs 51 and 52 for the purpose oflimiting the sliding movement of the rods 49 and 50. An opening 59 isbored through the arm 43 that registers with the bore end of the plunger28 and through which said plunger is adapted to move to permit its end'to engage the pin 27. i

- From the above it will be seen thatas soon i as the end of the plunger28 is engaged by the pin 27 the pawl 39 will prevent the rebound of thesame therefroml and at the same time the impact of the moving pin willbe imparted to the plunger which in turn transmits it to the recoil armcausing a slight vibratory movement of.the latter. The vibration of thearm is cushioned in the -one direction and then in the other by thecompression and expansion of the springs 55 and 56 thus absorbing theshock caused by the sudden impact of the pin against the end ofl theplunger. In order to permit of the slight lateral movement that isnecessary for 'the plunger' at the moment of contact I prefer to providea small amount of clearance between the collar 31 thereon and the innerface of the bore and bushing 32 in the end of said bore is slightlytapered internally Which has been shown as exaggerated in the drawing. Y

IVhile I have illustrated and described certain instrumentalties forcarrying out my invention it of course Will be obviousto others skilledin the art that numerous modilications or refinements thereof arepossible Without materially departing from the spirit of my invention,and I therefore desire it understood that all such changes arecontemplated Within the scope of my invention as expressed in thefollowing claims.

Having describedv` my invention, vv'hat'I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. A recoil mechanism comprising a shaft, a drive pulley thereon, afriction clutch connecting said shaft and pulley, a lateral memberprojecting from said clutch, a plunger movable into and out of the pathof said member, and a cushioned vibratory arm supporting the adjacentend of saidplunger.

2. A recoil mechanism comprising a shaft, a drive pulley thereon, afriction clutchlconnee'ting said shaft and pulley, a lateral memberprojecting from said clutch, a plunger movable into and out of the pathof'said member, a vibratory arm supporting the adjacent end of saidplunger, 'and a cushioning de vice'disposed upon opposite sides of saidarm.

3. A recoil mechanism comprising a suit-v able s'upport, a shaftjournaled therein and extended beyond its bearings, a drive pul-' leymounted on the extended end of said shaft, a friction clutch connectingsaid shaft ing the end of said arm.

and pulley, a member carried by said clutch and .projecting laterallytoward said 'supp port, a longitudinally reciprocable plunger journaledin said support and movable into- 4and out of the path of said member,and a pulleynmounted on the extended end of said shaft, a frictionclutch connecting said shaftand pulley, a member carried by vsaid clutchand projecting laterally toward said supL port, a plunger journaled insaid support and adapted to be moved into the path of and be engaged by.said member, and arcushioned vibratory arm journaled concentrir-r callywith said shaft and supporting the adjacent end of said plunger.

5. A recoil mechanism comprising a ,.shaft, a drive pulley thereon, afriction-clutch'connecting said shaft and pulley, a lateralmemberprojecting from said clutch, a plunger movable into and out of the pathof said melnber, a vibratory arm in which thel ad jacent end of saidplunger is supported, oppositzely disposed rods engaging the end of saidarm, and springs carried by said rods and bearing on said arm.

6. A recoil mechanism comprising a suitable support, a shaft journaledtherein one end of which is extended beyond its bearings, a drive pulleymounted on said shaft, a friction clutch connecting said shaft andpulley, a lateral member rotatable ivith said shaft,/a plunger journaledin said support and adapted to be moved into the path of and be engagedby said member to stop said shaft, and a cushioned arm supporting theend of said. plunger adjacent said member.

7. A recoil mechanism comprising a suitable support, a shaft journaledtherein one end of Which is extended beyond its bearings, a drive pulleymountedon said shaft, a -friction clutch eonnectingsaid shaft andpulley, a lateral member lrotatable with, said shaft, a plungerjournaled in said support and adapted to be moved into the path of andbe engaged by said member to stop said shaft,` an arm supporting the endof said plunger adjacent said-member, and a cushioning de` vice]ydisposed upon opposite-sides of said' armf.

8. A recoil mechanism comprising a suitable support, a shaft journaled Atherein one end of which is extended beyond its bearings,

a drive pulley mounted on said shaft, a friction clutch connecting saidshaft and pulley,

a. lateral member rotatable with said shaft, a plunger journaled 1n saidsupport and adapted to be -moved into the path of and be engaged by saidmember to stop said shaft, an arm supporting the end of said plungeradjacent said member, and a spring engagshaft, an arm supporting the endof said plunger adjacent said member, oppositely disposed rods theadjacent ends of which engage said arm and the' opposite ends of whichare' supported by lugs projecting from said support, and springssurrounding said rods between said lugs and said arm.

10. A recoil mechanism comprising a suitable support, a shaft journaledtherein one end of which is extended beyond its bear ings, a drivepulley mounted on said shaft, a

friction clutch connecting said shaft and pulley, a lateral memberrotatable with said shaft, a plunger j-ournaled in said support andadapted to be moved into the path of and be engaged by said member tostop said shaft, an arm supportingthe end of said plunger adjacent saidlmember, op ositely disposed rods the adjacent ends o which engage saidarm, guide lugs on said support in which the outer ends of said rods arecarried, springs surrounding said rods between said arm and saidlugs,and means for adjusting the movement of said rodsin relation tosaid lugs.A

11. A recoil mechanism comprising a shaft, a drive pulley thereon, alfriction Vend of which is extended beyond its bearings, a drive pulleymounted on said shaft, a

friction clutch connecting said shaft and pulley, a lateral memberrotatable with said shaft, a plunger journaled in said support andadapted to be moved into the path of and be engagedl by said member tostop said shaft, an arm supporting the end of said plunger adjacent saidmember, and springs disposed upon opposite sides of said arm andengaging the end thereof.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this 11 day ofFebruary, 1915. v v

ALBERT S. HOWELL.

